Training a dog....

[CathyA]

We found Suzi on the way home from Thanksgiving about 9 years ago. She was perfectly well behaved until we had her home a few days. (I think that's common..........they sense when you're going to keep them, and then they start peeing on the rug. haha)

She was soooooooo out of control. We kept her outside until we got her shots.
When we let her in the house, she was bonkers all the time. We had to have her on a leash most of the time, tethered to a heavy piece of furniture. It was crazy.

I seemed to be the only one who would try to discipline her (just like with our kids!). We took her for a few obedience lessons, which helped.

Finally, after a few years, she was fairly well behaved. She obeys me the most. But when the kids and DH are home at the same time, she can't bare us all going outside without her. (She's only allowed in the fenced in back yard, and sometimes we go out the front door). She goes crazy.
Whenever others are here and we go out the door, she runs out and then we have to spend awhile yelling for her, threatening her, saying really nice things, saying really awful things.........anything to get her back into the house. :~)

I never have this problem when its just me. I really think she's always been ADHD. She also goes bonkers when anyone comes to the door. I'm thinking about getting a walk-though gate for the doorway between our entranceway and the rest of the house. At least this way, I can keep her from getting so close to the door.

Of course, I would rather train her to have the self control to do as I ask.......but I honestly think that's never going to happen.

I suppose the right way to do it would be to train her when DH and the kids are home, and we would go out the door, and over and over and over, teach her and reward her to not lunge towards the door. But that's not very practical.

You should see her when we're all going out the door. I tell her to "lay down", which she does, but then she starts quivering and shaking and wailing. By the time the last person is about to go out the door, she lunges. I think whoever had her first probably left her and maybe that is her fear.

I even thought of getting one of those shock collars and using it in the entranceway.

Any suggestions as to the best way to go about this? She's fairly well behaved in calm situations, but change it up a bit, and she's a goner. :0!

[try2bfrugal]

I am not an expert on dog training but for help with our dog I found a lot of good advice from Cesar Millian on The Dog Whisperer show. We watched his videos on the Nat Geo channel and also rented some from the library for some great tips. Our rescue dog is a sweetheart but certainly came with more built in issues than the dogs we had before that we adopted as puppies. Our dog has some separation anxiety issues as well. I think if you just practice leaving and coming for short periods it helps them to understand and get used to the idea that you really are coming back and they aren't going to be abandoned again.

One of the things Cesar mentions is to be sure that your dog is getting lots of exercise each day and this helps to reduce anxiety. We try to take our dog out for a walk before we all leave anywhere for extended periods so he is tired out and sleeps while we are gone. I also tell him when we are leaving and tell him when he is coming and staying home. He understands what I say and when he is told he is staying home - he goes and lays down in his bed instead of trying to go out the door with us. When I tell him he is coming with us or going for a walk he wags his tail and gets all excited and goes by the door. So for our dog just telling him what is happening seems to help so he knows what to expect.

I would really try to use positive reinforcement instead of the shock collar if you can help it. Our dog is afraid of remote controls so we think someone used a shock collar on him in the past and he is really warped out over it. Our local animal shelter had dog obedience classes and animal behaviorists to call for help so maybe you could also find a local program like that.

[awakenedsoul]

I have two rescued dogs. It's taken a lot of practice, every day, to train them. I really keep them on a schedule. I walk them every morning, and do things the same way, (the way I want them to memorize,) over and over. They like to use their talents. My German Shepherd loves to guard. She's super smart. She hides, so she can see people, but they can't see her. I always praise her for taking such good care of the house and she loves it. My terrior mix is very high strung. She was terribly abused, so she's come a long way. She loves me to run her alongside my bike on the Walkydog. She's also superb at frisbee. People ask me how I trained her to catch it so well, but it was just doing it everyday. She's a natural. Dog training takes a lot of time and commitment, but it's really worth it. Consistency and repetition work for me. Plus, lots of praise when they get it right.

[CathyA]

Thanks try2bfrugal and awakenedsoul.

I think my dog is pretty smart, but like most of us, her insecurities overwhelm her sense at times. haha
I'm very consistent with her training, and like I said she obeys me when I'm alone with her. But as soon as the others show up, she can't control herself. She's such a social dog, she just can't bare to be left out of the group. She's a hunter. As far as fetch, forget it. She keeps everything and won't give it back..........so we can't play frisbee with her. haha
As frustrating as she can be at times, we love her so much! She's definitely a cutie-pie.

[Float On]

CathyA, where does she sleep?
Our dog, TomDog, sleeps in the laundry room and when we're leaving or someone comes I always tell him "time to take a nap" and he runs to his bed, gets a treat tossed as him and I close the door and he knows it's nap time till we come home or the people leave.
I started doing that with my golden retriever, Levi, years ago because he had seperation anxiety issues. He needed a routine he could count on, knowing that I'd come back for him and that I wasn't leaving him for good.
It's worked for every dog since then. I don't think they like to pee or soil where they sleep so I've never had 'excited bladder' issues by putting them in their room during a high stress time like strangers coming for dinner.

[try2bfrugal]

CathyA, where does she sleep?
Our dog, TomDog, sleeps in the laundry room and when we're leaving or someone comes I always tell him "time to take a nap" and he runs to his bed, gets a treat tossed as him and I close the door and he knows it's nap time till we come home or the people leave.
I started doing that with my golden retriever, Levi, years ago because he had seperation anxiety issues. He needed a routine he could count on, knowing that I'd come back for him and that I wasn't leaving him for good.
It's worked for every dog since then. I don't think they like to pee or soil where they sleep so I've never had 'excited bladder' issues by putting them in their room during a high stress time like strangers coming for dinner.

When we first adopted our dog, we would lock him in the kitchen before we left. I don't think we gave him a treat but that would have been a good idea. We bought a metal gate for the one exit area that didn't have a door to close. Then we started testing him out by leaving him for longer and longer time periods outside the kitchen when he was home alone. He obviously preferred to have the run of the house, so it didn't take him long to catch on that if he didn't try to run out the door or do any damage while we were gone he got rewarded with the privilege of not being locked up. When he has the run of the house he can look out the front french doors and watch the street. After while when he saw us getting our coats or shoes on he would go upstairs to his lookout post to let us know that is where he wanted to be left.

The only time he has tried to get out since we gave him run of the house was when my husband was running the water for his bath. We usually all take showers so when the dog hears the bath water running he knows it is time to boogie. We had a repair person here in the morning, so the front door was open so he could go in and out with his tools. Unfortunately that allowed our dog to make his big break, but we found him a few houses down the street.

[CathyA]

She sleeps wherever she wants to! haha Mostly either on the sofa or with DH. (we have separate bedrooms because of my sleep disorder).
We had a dog crate for several years after we first got her. We would say "go to your room" and she would....UNLESS someone came to the door, or we were leaving..........then she wouldn't get in no matter what.
I've tried putting her in the bedroom if I know someone is coming up the lane, but she barks constantly and I'm afraid she'll scratch the door.
Sometimes, before she can hear someone coming up our long lane (but I know they're coming), I get her to go outside in the fenced-in back yard. But then she will bark at their truck the whole time they're in the house.
I guess her will is stronger than mine! haha

[try2bfrugal]

She sleeps wherever she wants to! haha Mostly either on the sofa or with DH. (we have separate bedrooms because of my sleep disorder).
We had a dog crate for several years after we first got her. We would say "go to your room" and she would....UNLESS someone came to the door, or we were leaving..........then she wouldn't get in no matter what.
I've tried putting her in the bedroom if I know someone is coming up the lane, but she barks constantly and I'm afraid she'll scratch the door.
Sometimes, before she can hear someone coming up our long lane (but I know they're coming), I get her to go outside in the fenced-in back yard. But then she will bark at their truck the whole time they're in the house.
I guess her will is stronger than mine! haha

We tried the crate but our dog hated that. He hurt his legs trying to dig his way out. One $300 vet bill and we were done with the crate. It must have reminded him of something traumatic like the dog pound or an experience with his last owners. He did do fine in the kitchen though. He shredded a wood gate but we bought the metal gate and put a heavy, stainless steel waste basket in front of the latch, so then he finally gave up trying to get out. In the literature we got from the dog shelter they recommended leaving the dog in a small room like a laundry room or a bathroom at first when you have to leave. We did the kitchen and kitchen nook because those rooms have the oldest floors and we could block him off in there easy with the gate.

We used to lock our dog in the kitchen even when we were home for brief periods to get him used to the idea. We would just do that on and off all day long. We would also give him treats when he didn't bark to try to use positive reinforcement to encourage not barking whenever he was left alone.